


Trying to Live

by SummerBloom



Category: Tales of Berseria, Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Advanced prosthetics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anorexia, Attempted Murder, Attempts at realistic stuff, Bullying, Everyone written here is above the age of 20, Extremely Slow Burn, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, I literally wrote a character list before I started writing this, Injury, M/M, Medical stuff, Parole Violations, Possible game spoilers, Social Anxiety, Sorey is a complete fanboy at times, and more - Freeform, chapter 7 was written while i was sick so there's inaccuracies, compound fracture, i can't write mikleo but i'll try, if some people seem ooc i apologize, in which SummerBloom bullshits law, like extremely, okay so laphicet's the only kid. whoops., some sexual content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2018-08-31 05:14:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8565424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerBloom/pseuds/SummerBloom
Summary: College, for Sorey, is like repeating High School. It doesn't matter if he's attending a great private college. The only thing good about it is the friends he's making along the way.





	1. Winter

**Author's Note:**

> *shrug* I'm bored. I want to challenge myself. It was really hard to write this, since I had to do a lot of research, but I think I've got it.
> 
> As for what Sorey's listening to in this chapter, [here's the song](https://youtu.be/ZlFqz7NnoX4). The singer will be revealed later on.

Autumn.

The season where everything loses its leaves and prepares for winter. And, for some, winter always came at the start of autumn. To wake up to blankets of snow with the roads plowed so people can drive to and from places still wasn't unusual. Especially for Sorey. He'd glance out the window, toothbrush still in his mouth, as he collected his clothes for the day to change into. The snow on his road wasn't plowed, so he swapped out outfits to one more suitable to walk to school in the snow in. Once he was dressed and his teeth were brushed, as well as a half-hearted attempt to brush his unruly hair, he headed to the kitchen to grab his bag. 

“Sorey, aren't you hungry?” His mother, Selene, asked as he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. His grandfather, Zenrus, looked knowingly at him. Sorey shook his head, a false smile on his lips. 

“No, Mom. I woke up too late! I'll eat at lunch.” He headed for the door, grabbing his boots and scarf from the door, pulling on his heavy winter coat first before wrapping the scarf around his face and neck. Putting his boots on and tying them up, Sorey left the house to head to school. 

The nearest bus stop was a 10-minute walk away, which Sorey made within six minutes. The snow wasn't too deep, which had made it easy for him to run to the stop and make it there in time before the bus pulled up. Sorey was cold, and the warmth of the bus was welcome when he boarded. He put on a glove, grabbing one of the straps instead of sitting down, and tilted to the side just a bit as the bus started moving. Standing straight once the bus was in full-motion, Sorey pulled out his earbuds from his coat pocket and put one in his left ear, pulling out his phone and opening his music player once he'd woken it up and unlocked his phone with the passcode. Choosing his favourite song, Sorey listened to it the entire bus ride. It was kind of melancholic, and the singer had a nice voice. It was deep, and carried the tune well. Tapping his fingers to the rhythm of the song, he wondered what the singer had thought of when he'd written and sang the song. As the bus pulled to a stop, he disembarked to walk the two block to the school. The kids were playing in the snow, throwing snowballs and making snowmen and snow angels. 

Sorey kept walking to the college. It wouldn't be too long before it felt like high school all over again. Checking his app where he logged his food intake, he noticed a little frowny face in the corner near his daily amount. 

“That's never been there before.” Sorey commented. Was it because he'd slept through dinner yesterday? That just seemed... weird. He'd only gotten it to make sure he didn't go over his calorie limit of the day. But he tapped it and nothing happened except that, a moment later, his stomach growled. That was normal. Swapping back to his music app, Sorey stared at the album cover of the virtual album he owned that held all his favourite singer's songs. The man who wrote and performed them all by himself, as said in a stream a couple days ago. Sorey admired his dedication to his work. 

Putting his phone to sleep, he stepped onto campus and pocketed it as the song faded out and the next one started to play. Sorey glanced about and sighed lightly as he noted none of the usual suspects were there. Rose was probably taking the week off from school to take care of her cousin, else she would've met him at the bus stop. That, or her other cousin was dropping her off today. Sorey didn't really mind. Rose had her own things to do, after all. 

But he still dreaded being alone here. 

He had to think back to the stream, where the man had answered their questions and what his advice had been. 

_“Kid, you've gotta keep your head held high. College these days will eat you alive. It's just an extension of high school hell, but you can't just give up. You can beat your demons if you try your hardest.”_

Right. But his legs refused to move. He could hear their laughter, hear them coming closer... 

Sorey bolted from the campus, heading to the nearby hobby shop and ducking inside. He'd hide in here for a bit until the people had gone to class. Which would take some time, if anything, and he'd be late. But it was better than not going. The lady at one of the shelves, hair cut short in a cute bob cut and dyed a lovely pink that complimented her outfit, glanced over before turning to walk to him, her green-blue eyes shining in happiness. 

“Have you come to buy something?” She asked. Sorey shook his head, and the lady frowned, looking disappointed. “I see. So people really don't like ceramics any more. It's all about the digital age, after all.” 

“What? No, I like ceramics!” Sorey blurted out. The lady blinked before giggling. “Wh-what's so funny? Was it something I said?” 

“No. I just thought that was sweet of you. Only Zaveid and his cousins drop by every now and again for supplies, so it does get a little lonely.” 

The lady was named Lailah, and she had a bad track record with men. She never explained why, merely trailing off into puns that had Sorey wondering if they were bad. After all, she never did say their names aloud. But she made great tea. Sorey made sure to get the exact tea to log it down in his app. It looked like he'd be walking home that day so he'd be able to eat dinner, so Sorey made a mental note of doing that. 

“You seem preoccupied. Is something wrong?” Lailah asked. Sorey looked up from his phone. 

“Well...” Sorey looked back at his phone and checked the time. “I have a lecture in thirteen minutes, but I'm sort of scared to go. A group of people who likes harrassing freshmen like me hang out at the front gates until five minutes before the lecture starts.” 

Lailah covered her mouth with a hand. “Bullies in college? Would you like me to walk with you to your lecture?” She seemed concerned. Sorey could only shake his head. 

“No. But thank you. I do appreciate it, Ms. Lailah.” Sorey smiled. Lailah giggled a little. 

“Please, call me Lailah.” 

They chatted for the next seven minutes, and Sorey bought a ceramic butterfly for his mother, saying he'd pick it up after college let out. Heading back to campus, he trudged through the snow to get there, thankful he learned that they only stayed until five minutes before classes. Once on campus, he took a known shortcut to the lecture hall, slipping inside quietly and taking the only empty seat next to someone unfamiliar. The professor, thankfully, hadn't seen him so he was safe for now. Glancing over at his seatmate, he gave an uneasy smile. The other male merely glanced at him before looking away. 

Sorey felt even more uneasy and pinched his face. So that guy was seeing... Oh, he felt sick. He wished that he hadn't taken Lailah up on the offer of tea. Sitting through the lecture, Sorey could barely take it. He knew, he just _knew_ he needed to get out. Everyone in this school knew, they knew all about him being-- 

When the lecture ended, Sorey quickly bolted from the lecture hall after packing up his notebook and pen. His stomach churned, and he ducked into the bathroom to throw up. Besides the tea, there was nothing in his stomach so it pained him to try throwing up when his stomach was so empty. It wasn't like he'd stuck his finger down his throat and forced himself to throw up. No, this was different. His stomach kept caving in, pushing up to try expelling its contents. And it hurt. Sorey wrapped his arms around himself and cried in pain. 

If only Rose was here, or even one of her cousins, he'd ask them for a ride home. Sorey couldn't stand being here at the college. Not when everyone knew.. 

He registered the sound of footsteps, but what brought him to reality was the red hair, and the cold cloth wiping the sweat from his face. Rose. So she'd just been late, she'd actually come... Sorey let her help him stand up and she kicked the flusher with her right foot before taking him to the sink so he could brush his teeth and wash his mouth. 

“You're lucky I was late, Sorey. Zaveid overslept because he spent all last night fucking his friend.” Rose didn't sound mad, but Sorey knew that kind of thing was a regular occurence in her household. 

“But... what if I was actually going to the bathroom?” Sorey asked. Rose rolled her eyes. 

“Then the vomit would've been all over the wall and not in the toilet. Geez. And if this is about me seeing you half naked with your cock hanging out, I've seen plenty. Mainly Dezel's but... You get the idea.” 

_______

Another student had come in late, and Mikleo was the person they sat next to. He focused on the lecture, pen writing down as many notes as he needed. The student smiled at him, and Mikleo had only glanced over, engrossed in his note-taking. But there was something strange about them. They fidgeted while taking notes, eyes continually looking for an escape route. Mikleo knew those signs. The student wanted to bolt. Before he could say anything, the student had bolted from the room once the lecture was over. 

He'd decided to go wash his face and calm himself down before going to find the student and apologize. Upon reaching the men's restroom, he heard voices. 

_“But... what if I was actually going to the bathroom?”_

_“Then the vomit would've been all over the wall and not in the toilet. Geez. And if this is about me seeing you half naked with your cock hanging out, I've seen plenty. Mainly Dezel's but... You get the idea.”_

There was a woman in the men's restroom! Despite the fact that she was helping someone, Mikleo couldn't stand for this transgression. And-- And her restroom was just ten feet from the men's! Without thinking on it, he burst into the restroom to see the student from earlier and a red-haired girl standing at the sink. 

And the first words out of his mouth? 

“You're not supposed to be in here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say my favourite part was Rose being too casual about everything? No? Okay.


	2. Before & After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a rare moment, Sorey dreams of a better world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me forever because I'm swamped with stuff. Seriously. Sorry for the wait. The SorMik you all crave won't be happening for a few more chapters. I'm sorry oAo
> 
> [This is the second song Sorey listens to](https://youtu.be/PCJ0uxamo54).

“I'm late.”

“I'm sorry.” 

“You know I have to be there before ten.” 

“I said I was sorry! Give it a break.” 

Rose huffed, looking out the window with her chin on the palm of her hand. Snow covered the sidewalks and the park, as well as decorated houses and driveways. If she wasn't so mad, she'd find the sight beautiful. She was late for the lecture and, at this rate, wouldn't make it in time. Leave it to Zaveid to oversleep. 

“I know you enjoy fucking Eizen a lot, but did you really have to fuck him until the bed was slamming against the wall?” Rose glanced over at him. “Dezel complained. The noise wasn't letting him sleep.” 

“He wanted it like that.” Zaveid stopped at the stoplight, taking a moment to stretch. He'd forgotten his shirt again, and his hair was still messy. “Eizen's pretty kinky, y'know? Besides... He couldn't remember his own name for a good half hour after.” 

“Still! Tone down the fucking!” 

“Alright, alright. Sheesh.” 

Rose sighed, going back to staring out the window. The drive took about an entire half hour, in which she spent holding a silence that was much like giving Zaveid the cold shoulder. To fill the silence, Zaveid started humming to himself, but seemed to be stopping every now and again to try to get the tune right. Was he doing that intentionally? Rose didn't know, but it was driving her bonkers. If only she didn't understand why he did that... Well, she'd probably get really mad at him and tell him to shut up. But she endured it for now. 

Even though it was cold out, Zaveid insisted on at least walking with her to the gates to make sure she stayed safe. Those idiots who lingered there always bullied anyone they didn't like... Zaveid hated them and it was clear on his face. He wanted Rose to stay safe, even if it meant freezing because he forgot to put on a shirt. 

“I'll be at Lailah's hobby shop after school,” Rose said once they approached the gates. “If you're lucky, I may talk her into baking you those cookies you like so much.” 

“If I didn't work out often, those cookies would be the end of me.” Zaveid ran a hand through his hair. “Be careful, Rose. Don't know what those creeps could be up to.” 

Rose laughed. “I'll be fine, Zaveid. Sheesh. See you at Lailah's!” 

She watched Zaveid walk back to the parking lot and gave a final wave as he drove off, probably to go get some more sleep. Heading onto campus, knowing that she'd have to get her lecture notes from Sorey, she decided to head towards her next class when she noticed Sorey running into the bathroom. Taking a breath, she ran after him, hearing him throwing up. That wasn't good, not with his condition. Face paling, Rose heard his pained cries and pulled out her handkerchief, quickly wetting it with water and wringing it out, walking to the stall Sorey was in and kneeling down to wipe the sweat off his face. Helping him up, she kicked the flusher and assisted him to the sink so he could wash his mouth. 

“You're lucky I was late, Sorey. Zaveid overslept because he spent all last night fucking his friend.” Rose shook her head. She wasn't mad, but Zaveid really needed to stop fucking Eizen so much. That was just making things hard, figuratively speaking. 

“But... what if I was actually going to the bathroom?” Sorey asked. He sounded like he was in pain. Rose rolled her eyes, internally worried. 

“Then the vomit would've been all over the wall and not in the toilet. Geez. And if this is about me seeing you half naked with your cock hanging out, I've seen plenty. Mainly Dezel's but... You get the idea.” 

The door slammed open at that moment, making Sorey jump. Rose put a comforting hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a half-hug as she looked to the person who slammed the door open. The student was unfamiliar, so Rose figured he must've been new. And the first words out of his mouth was: “You're not supposed to be in here!” 

Rose sighed. “Hey, look. My friend here got sick so what was I supposed to do? Leave him crying over a toilet bowl? I wouldn't be a good friend if I did,” she said. 

“It's the men's restroom!” The student said. At that point, Rose's phone started ringing. Holding up a finger, she pulled her phone out of her shorts pocket and answered it. 

“Zaveid? What's up?” 

_“Got a situation. Dezel got sick, so I need you to come home. Can you get a ride from Lailah?”_ Zaveid asked. Rose sighed. 

“Yeah. I'm bringing Sorey, too. He's in pain and Dezel's herbal teas seem to help.” 

“Could you leave the men's restroom, at least?” The student asked. “You're not supposed to be in here!” 

“Okay, okay! Come on, Sorey, let's go.” Taking Sorey out of the bathroom, she merely ruffled the student's hair as she passed. “Don't let college eat you alive.” 

_____

Laying on the couch in Rose's room, a heating blanket over his stomach and a cup of herbal tea set on the table next to him. He didn't want it, thinking the drink wouldn't fit in his calorie intake for the day. Pulling out his headphones, he popped them into his ears and tuned out the world by listening to another song by his favourite singer. Drifting off to sleep, he woke up when the sun had gone down and sat up, his phone sliding into his lap along with the now-cool blanket. A washcloth also fell off his forehead, and he saw Rose's cousin, Zaveid, asleep in the armchair in just a button-down that was unbuttoned and a pair of pants. Sorey noticed the cup on the table and reached over to it, accidentally knocking it over. The noise woke Zaveid, who saw the mess and sighed, only pulling off his shirt to mop up the mess. If it'd been Sorey's first time seeing Zaveid shirtless, he probably would've asked him to get a towel and put his shirt back on but, thankfully, it wasn't his first time seeing Zaveid like this. 

Instead, Sorey found himself admiring Zaveid's muscles, wondering how he kept himself in shape like that. Once the mess was taken care of, the two of them were silent for some moments until Sorey spoke up. 

“Um, Zaveid? How do you... stay like that?” He asked, gesturing to Zaveid's body. “Isn't it hard to?” 

Zaveid gave Sorey a once-over. “Pretty hard to when Dezel's sick, but not really any other day of the week,” he responded. Sorey nodded, looking away from Zaveid and pinching at his own face. What he didn't expect was Zaveid easing his hand away from his face and making Sorey look at him. 

“Sorey, what's buggin' you? I know I'm no therapist, but you're Rose's friend.” Sorey merely nodded at that, glancing away from Zaveid. “Look, I'll help ya as best as I can, but I can't do that if you don't tell me.” 

Tell him? About being horrendously overweight and needing to lose it all? About what those people at the gate said? Sorey shook his head. He couldn't tell Zaveid anything. Sure, they were friends too but.... 

“Sorey. You can trust me.” 

Sorey shook his head again and Zaveid sighed. “Fucking hell, Sorey. Rose said you threw up and you weren't doin' too well when Lailah brought the two of you here. And you didn't even touch the tea. What's going on?” 

“I can't tell you, Zaveid. I'm sorry.” Sorey looked to the ground and Zaveid let him go. Not before hugging him, though. It was strange how warm Zaveid always felt, kind of like the warmth when he woke up in the morning. Sorey hugged him back, resting his head on Zaveid's shoulder. 

At least for now, Sorey could close his eyes and dream of a better world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it sucks oAo


	3. Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which stuff happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter a lot. Honestly, I was halfway to giving up on it because I didn't want to offend anyone (I've offended people before by not portraying stuff the way they experienced it,, but I swear I do my research before attempting) and I was afraid. And my grandpa's in the hospital, so.... yeah, motivation = 0%
> 
> But here's a lame chapter. Sorry if you don't like it... oAo

When Sorey opened his eyes again, it was morning. He wasn't on the couch like he had been before, but in bed. And that was what worried him the most. He wasn't used to waking up in bed unless he was at home, and usually that wasn't often since he always fell asleep in bed. The worst part was finding Zaveid laying next to him, fast asleep. For a moment, he freaked out and wondered if Zaveid had taken advantage of him. A quick look at himself showed he was fully dressed, but it was in one of Zaveid's sleeveless shirts, more commonly known amongst women as 'tank tops'. That was when Sorey started having a panic attack. Zaveid had changed his clothes, Zaveid had _seen_ how overweight he was. Zaveid had... He had--!

Zaveid woke up, looking sleepy and dazed until he saw Sorey clutching at the shirt he wore. His breath was coming in short bursts, as if he was having a hard time breathing, and he was starting to sweat. Zaveid knew what was going on, as an old friend of his used to have the same symptoms. 

“Sorey! Hey, listen to me! You're okay, it's safe!” Zaveid said, trying to calm the panicking Sorey down. Sorey only looked at him with wide, fearful eyes before making his escape. All Zaveid did was sit back and shake his head. Sorey would come back, he knew it. In the meantime, he got out of bed and grumbled to himself as he grabbed a random shirt from his dresser and put it on. 

The wayward Sorey didn't show up for breakfast, and neither did Rose. Dezel, on the other hand, sat at the table and gloomily bit into one of the muffins set out on the table. Usually, breakfast was filled with chatter that came mainly from Rose. But, since she wasn't sitting there, it was mainly silent save for the noise coming from the television. 

_“And last night, at 9pm, police responded to a call about a robbery in progress. From what our sources tell us, the bank was preparing to close after serving their last two customers when the robbery happened.”_

Zaveid sighed. What a world they lived in. Robberies, murders, bullying... it was as if people loved committing crimes for no reason. Loved making others suffer. He'd been like that once, but then he'd been forced to grow up. Sighing, Zaveid set down the muffin, his appetite all but gone now. Dezel was quick to take the uneaten muffin, and Zaveid let him. He needed the food since he'd recovered from being sick, so it wasn't a big deal. There were more, but he didn't feel like eating. 

Rose finally appeared, arm around the shoulders of a very nervous Sorey. Sitting down at the table, she grabbed a muffin and split it in half, offering the smaller half to Sorey. 

“Here. Try eating this. Zaveid makes the best breakfast muffins.” She said. Sorey merely looked at it. “Just a bite. It won't hurt you.” 

“Rose, I don't need to eat this. I'm-” 

“You're basically skin and bones, Sorey! Keep refusing to eat, and you'll be six feet under in no time! Do you think we want to see you die?!” Rose covered her mouth afterwards and sat back down. “Sorry, Sorey... I know it's not good to yell at you for this. I'm just scared we'll lose you.” 

“I understand, Rose...” Despite his brain screaming at him not to, that he'll only get fatter if he dared eat, Sorey took the muffin half and bit into it. Chewing and swallowing was the hard part, as he just wanted to spit it out despite how good it tasted. He got that one bite down before setting the muffin half aside. Sorey knew he couldn't eat any more. “I'm sorry for worrying you all.” 

Dezel scoffed, swallowing a bite of his third muffin before pointing it at Sorey. “Apologize to yourself, not to us. Rose is right. You're killing yourself like this. If you really want to lose weight, ask Zaveid for help.” 

Of course, it wasn't all that easy. Sorey looked ill, possibly due to a combination of eating and not eating, and looked ready to bolt. Zaveid sighed, remembering what Sorey had asked before he'd fallen asleep yesterday. Rose drummed her fingers on the table, trying to think. 

“If we could get to the bottom of this, we could help you recover. You're looking ill..” Rose reached over to touch Sorey's forehead but he moved out of reach. The rest of breakfast was eaten in an uncomfortable silence, only broken by Rose's cell ringing. At first, she went to decline the call when she noticed the name. 

“It's Lailah. I've gotta take this.” Rose got up and left the table, going into another room and leaving Sorey, Dezel and Zaveid alone. Sorey took this chance to bolt, going to get dressed and head home. His mother and grandfather would be worried half to death, wouldn't they? His phone was still in his jacket, thank goodness, and he noticed both his mother and grandfather had called five times in the time he'd been downstairs. 

Leaving while no one was looking (or so he hoped), Sorey made his way home. 

* * *

“That guy you like's holding a stream, Sorey.” Selene said, leaning over to look at his computer screen. 

“I know, Mom. I just don't know if I want to deal with being in the chat room right now.” Sorey slumped in his seat. 

“You've always said his songs cheered you up, so why not give it a chance? He might be releasing a new album, for all you know.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “It'll be okay, Sorey.” 

He nodded, tuning in to the stream. It was about halfway over when he joined in, putting on his headphones and listening. 

“ _\--at, in turn, became my biggest inspiration.” The voice flowed smoothy from the stream to his headphones. “I have a friend who's going through tough times, but he won't tell anyone why. But I've learned to be patient. He'll tell me when he's ready to. Same goes for you, redredder15. Just be patient. Your friend'll come around soon._ ” 

Sorey couldn't place it. It sounded familiar but... 

It was just a coincidence... 

_Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *flips table* done.
> 
> I like comments because I like talking to people. Feed me oAo


	4. Visitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas. And Winter break.
> 
> These two things mean Sorey has company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas chapter. Late by a day but eh. I've been dealing with stuff. Anyway, sorry for the extended wait. Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Also I can't write Velvet. Joy.

Christmas.

And it wasn’t his favourite time of year. His mother was baking, his grandfather getting his hand swatted by his mother’s wooden spoon for trying to get a cookie too soon. And Sorey had to resist the temptation to go running. But at least it was Winter Break now after that fiasco with the mismatched family of Rose’s. Not that it much mattered. Rose had called him three times a couple days ago after he’d left, and dragged him out yesterday around stores to help him get some gifts for his friends and family. He knew his cousin was going to be visiting and liked bird-themed items, so he’d bought a few things and a book on birds and their species while they were shopping. But he held a gift in his hands, one Rose had handed him when she dropped him off at home.

_ “It’s from Zaveid. Guess he snooped through your phone while you slept yesterday. Says it’s an apology gift. Open it when it’s Christmas and not a day earlier!”  _ She’d said before handing him off to his mother. Selene seemed to understand or know what the gift was, because she took it from him and put it under the tree. Sorey had proceeded to wrap the gifts he’d gotten for everyone and kept them in his room until Christmas morning.

Which, in fact, was that very day. Rose had come over an hour ago to drop off gifts for them and took the gifts Sorey and Selene had gotten her family before she had wished them a merry Christmas. But now, they were waiting for their family to come over.

“Sorey,” Selene said, catching his attention. “Remember, don’t stare and don’t ask. She doesn’t like remembering.”

“I know,” was Sorey’s response. He knew the drill for when his cousins visited, and understood what he was allowed to do and what he wasn’t allowed to do. And staring was something he knew he couldn’t do. Getting up off the couch, he went to get a glass of water, drinking it slowly and savouring the taste. He washed his glass after, drying and putting it away. The tradition always was that their extended family came over and they opened presents together before having a big Christmas feast. So, when the doorbell rang, five times in one sitting, Sorey went to get it so Selene could finish baking.

Opening the door, he saw his cousins. Immediately averting his eyes, Sorey stepped aside and let them in, taking their coats and hanging them up after shutting the door behind them. When they reached the family room, Selene came out from the kitchen with Zenrus in tow.

“Velvet! Laphicet! So happy you could make it!” Selene said, giving them both a hug. Velvet looked uncomfortable but Laphicet hugged Selene back. “Where’s-”

“Off with his church group. Like every year.” Velvet dismissed the question before it could be finished. “If it weren’t for you, Phi wouldn’t have a Christmas.”

“Right. Well, then! Why don’t you three open your presents? I still have some cooking to do!” Selene gave a smile before heading back to the kitchen. Velvet groaned and sat on the couch before looking to Sorey.

“Mind if I e-mail my group? Gonna tell them I'll be gone until after New Years'.”

“N-no! Go ahead, Velvet!” Sorey slid his laptop over, careful not to stare too long at what was left of Velvet’s left arm. But he noticed something new. One of those new state-of-the-art prosthetics that acted like a real arm was there, and Sorey let out a small gasp as it actually  _ moved.  _ Velvet must’ve paid good money for it because those were  _ expensive _ to the common man.

Velvet noticed, lifting her arm to show him. “Got it in August. Magilou and Eleanor’s gift for my birthday.” She sent off the e-mail and signed out of her account. “Think they wanted me to have a chance to fully use both arms again. Can’t say I blame them.”

Laphicet, on the other hand, was busy putting presents into different piles. One for him, one for Velvet and one for Sorey. Velvet knelt beside him after moving from the couch. There was a lot of presents for each of them, it seemed, and Sorey was glad that Rose had dragged him shopping. Remembering the presents, he hurried upstairs but felt dizzy upon arriving to his room. It took him a few moments to regain his balance and was able to get the presents downstairs. Setting Velvet’s and Laphicet’s in their respective piles, Sorey set the rest aside and waited until Velvet opened a present first. In the present was an ornamental box with a ruby-studded bracelet inside. Setting the box carefully on the table, Velvet put the bracelet on and looked at it before giving a nod of approval. That was when the other two took that as an okay to start opening their gifts. 

When Sorey reached the final gift, he looked it over. Rose had said it was Zaveid’s apology gift, but he couldn’t really understand what it was. Carefully, he opened it to see a CD case. There was a note attached to it, too. Sorey couldn’t understand why Zaveid would snoop in his phone, and still felt a little bit violated by that. Sighing, Sorey read the note.

_ Figured you might like this. It’s not released yet, but I figured you might like an early copy. _

Not released yet? Sorey carefully took the note off and looked at the CD case more carefully. Laphicet walked over to look at it, too.

“ _ Zadeya _ ? Hey, that’s his new album! I thought it wasn’t released yet!” He said, gaining Velvet’s attention. She looked at it, too. Upon opening the case, Sorey saw the two CDs the pre-order had been said to have. “You must have a friend in the music business!”

“He’s self-published, Phi. So he has a friend who knows him or knows Zadeya himself.“ Velvet took the CD case from Sorey. “I’ll burn them to your computer. Phi, go help Selene.”

“Okay!”

Sorey took out his phone, waking it up and dialing Rose’s number. Leaving the room for a moment so Velvet wouldn’t hear, Sorey listened to the phone ring until…

_ “Merry Christmas, Sorey! What’s up?”  _ Rose asked, sounding chipper.

“That gift Zaveid gave me… Is he really…?”

“ _ Internet singer Zadeya who never shows his face online, like that Youtuber… uh, Cryaotic? Yeah. I mean, it’s pretty obvious. He just masks his voice with some program when he’s not singing. _ ”

“You’re kidding.”

“ _ Nope. Hey, Zaveid! Sorey’s asking  _ that  _ question! Yes or no? _ ”

“ _ Rose... _ ” Zaveid sounded frustrated, but laughed. “ _ Yes. But stop dropping hints already. Geez. Sorey still coming over tonight? _ ”

“As long as I can bring my cousins. They’ll be in town for until after New Years’.”

“ _ He says yes. But only if his cousins can, too. _ ”

“ _ Alright. We’ll see him then. Hey, Eizen! _ ”

“ _ Go fuck each other’s brains out already! Sheesh! Anyway, we’ll see you then!”  _ Rose hung up, and Sorey sighed. This was one  _ eventful _ Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D I love comments. Feed me.
> 
> Yeah, chapter sucked. But life kicked me in the ass. It'll go back to normal later on.


	5. Determined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Velvet does the unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belated happy new year! Finally got this chapter done. Velvet may seem a little ooc in this but... adapting them to this au and still making them as ic as possible is actually harder than it looks. But I hope this chapter is still good!

It was Zaveid who picked them up once the sun had set, hair all mussed up and without a shirt. It was obvious he’d had quite a day, as his face was still slightly flushed and his pants were slightly undone. Velvet gave him a once-over and then looked to Sorey, jabbing her metal thumb in Zaveid’s direction.

“ _ That’s _ your friend? He’s shirtless in winter. Practically stupid,” she said, before grabbing the spare coat and throwing it at him. “Put that on. Or feel free to die from your idiocy.”

“Harsh.” Zaveid pulled on the coat as Velvet, Laphicet and Sorey headed to his car. It was the same car Rose had driven, so Sorey knew they were in safe hands. The entire ride there, Zaveid had been chatty. No doubt that when Rose had said ‘go fuck each other’s brains out’, he’d actually done it. That explained why he looked like he’d just had the time of his life. Sorey figured that it was just Zaveid’s way of having fun. Though, he had to admit, he  _ did _ wonder sometimes upon how ‘fucking’ felt. Probably good, if Zaveid did it often with Eizen.

“Next time, dress properly. I’m not having Phi’s innocence corrupted by you,” Velvet remarked, shifting in her seat.

“Velvet, I’m not a kid!” Laphicet pouted. “I’m at least fifteen!”

“Still a kid.” Velvet sat back and stared at Zaveid, who swallowed. “Hopefully the rest of them have manners.”

Sorey laughed nervously. If Dezel’s grumpiness and Rose’s bluntness was ‘manners’, he wondered what was going to happen when they got there. He hoped that they were on their best behaviour. Once they pulled into the driveway, the garage door opened and Zaveid carefully drive the car in. Stopping it once he was far enough in, he shut it off and opened his door. Sorey, Velvet and Laphicet followed his lead, going inside once the car doors were shut and the car was locked. The house smelled nice, and Rose walked up. Smacking Sorey on the back, sending him stumbling a couple steps forward, she grinned.

“Nice to see you again!” She said, before looking to Velvet and Laphicet. “These are your cousins? I’m Rose Malvolia. The shirtless muscle-head’s my cousin, Zaveid and the grumpy guy trying to--  _ Dezel! _ Don’t feed Bitley our food!”

“He’s hungry,” was Dezel’s response. Bitley barked once before finishing the piece of meat that Dezel had given him. Rose groaned as Zaveid headed over to his bedroom. Spotting that, Rose marched over and grabbed his wrist.

“Try and keep down the fucking. I don’t think they’d appreciate hearing you two go at it like a couple of rabbits!” She whispered. Zaveid chuckled, ruffling her hair.

“Don’t worry, Rose. We’re not gonna be loud,” he assured her. Letting go of his wrist, she let him go back to his bedroom before turning around and walking over to Laphicet, bending over to look at him properly.

“Do you like video games?” She asked. Laphicet nodded. Rose grinned, standing up. “Right. Let’s go play some! Don’t worry, I won’t let him play the ones over a T rating.”

“As long as he takes fifteen minute breaks, Phi can play whatever he wants,” Velvet said. Rose nodded, and lead Laphicet to her room to play video games. Velvet went and sat on the couch, closing her eyes as if meditating. Sorey carefully walked over to Dezel and Bitley, sitting near them. It was quiet except for the sound of Bitley eating. There wasn’t much to talk about with Dezel, as Sorey had found out months ago, but he was still good company regardless. The thing about Dezel, though, was that he didn’t trust anyone unless he knew they weren’t going to use him. Sorey had always figured Dezel had his reasons but never pried, only because it was traumatic for Dezel, as Rose had so bluntly put it. He wondered if Dezel trusted him yet.

Probably not.

He rested his head on the table, listening to Bitley’s little happy barks as Dezel fed him. Wondering if animals had to deal with bullying, Sorey pulled out his phone and scrolled through the new songs on there. Zaveid was the internet singer, Zadeya… and had gone through his phone. Why had he invaded Sorey’s privacy like that? It made no sense. Hearing a door open, he looked up to see a slightly-dressed Zaveid with someone who Sorey could only guess was ‘Eizen’. Putting his head back down, feeling unusually tired, Sorey could only hear them speak as if they were far away. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Zaveid looking concernedly at him.

“You alright?”

Sorey nodded. “Yeah. Just a little tired, though.”

Zaveid clicked his tongue before looking to Eizen. “Hey can you go open the guest room door? Sorey looks like he’s gonna fall asleep.”

“Yeah.” Eizen headed off, and Zaveid carefully helped Sorey up. Velvet opened one eye and sighed, getting up off the couch and walking over, silently helping Zaveid get Sorey to the guest room. By the time they got there, Sorey was fast asleep and was put into bed, covered up and left to sleep. Velvet remained in the room as well, resting on the sofa. Left alone to her thoughts, she only came out of her meditative state when Sorey started making noises. And they weren’t good noises, either. Getting up off the sofa, she walked over and crouched down to see him better. A hand brushed his bangs away and she stayed there for a moment. Sorey whimpered, clutching the pillow tight.

“....No… stop, please…” He groaned. Velvet stared. “I… not fat… Please…”

She stood up and turned to the door, walking out and heading back to the main room, where Zaveid, Eizen and Dezel were. But she walked over to Zaveid, grabbing him and shoving him up against the wall.

“The hell did you do to him?!” Velvet growled. “He’s having a nightmare! Did you call him fat without any reason to do so?!”

“Whoa, whoa! Hold on there! I didn’t do anything to him!” Zaveid responded. “I’m not the type to call others degrading names or comment on their weight. If this is about him being anorexic, we know. We’ve been trying to figure out the source of it, but it hasn’t worked so far.”

“He’s  _ anorexic _ ?!” Velvet’s voice raised a couple of octaves as she shoved Zaveid harder against the wall. “Why aren’t you helping him?!”

“We can’t help someone who doesn’t want it,” Dezel said, looking over to her. “We’ll be here when he wants the help, but we’re not going to force it on him.”

Velvet scoffed, letting go of Zaveid and turning to face Dezel. “Then you figure out the source and eliminate it so he can start recovering. That’s all there is to it. It’s how I got rid of Phi’s bullies.”

“He’ll go to them when he’s ready. Not a moment before,” Eizen said. “You can’t force it on him.”

“I sure as hell can do something about it! Phi, I’m going to talk to Selene! Behave yourself!” Velvet said, before walking out of the house as she pulled out her cell. She couldn’t let this continue.

Heaven help the poor bastard who ruined Sorey’s self esteem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's Velvet gonna dooooo? Who knows. Anyway, comments are appreciated. I tend not to respond asap since I'm writing everything from a phone, but I do read them! Ahaha... I'm horrible at responding sometimes, I'm sorry.


	6. New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a new semester upon him after collapsing at Zaveid's house, Sorey faces a new challenge: His cousins living with him and unexpected guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally have a laptop~ Wheee. It sucks, though. Can't play Zestiria on it. Someone make me a Zaveid playermodel for GMod and I'll love you forever. (I'm kidding I could probably figure that out myself somehow)
> 
> Anyway this chapter took a bit. Also I feel like utter crap, so..
> 
> I explored a bit of Velvet during this chapter, as well as shoving two other Berseria characters in here. There's a MAJOR spoiler for Magilou, however... unless you don't care about spoilers. It's her name. I also tried to keep her as IC as I possibly could. It's a challenge I've happily accepted because I love Magilou's eccentric ways.
> 
> Hopefully this chapter lives up to your expectations. I'll probably re-introduce Mikleo next chapter to get the shippy stuff going for you SorMik shippers.

It’d been a week since Sorey had passed out like he did at Zaveid’s place, and there was little sign of him ever trying to recover. He’d been so scared after passing out that he’d thought he’d passed out because of his _weight_ and not because he wasn’t eating or getting proper nutrition. Even with Zaveid grumbling and shoving something small, probably 100 calories or less, at him to at least attempt getting him to eat (which was a kind gesture, but Sorey could barely stomach anything after he woke up), he was still _so afraid_ of gaining weight that he set it on the counter for the rest of the night, only to find it with Laphicet when they returned to Sorey’s home the day after. Everyone was trying to get him to eat, and Sorey didn’t _want_ to. He could barely stomach dinner without extensive exercise afterwards to burn the calories off. This just meant he’d need to work harder to keep his appetite under control.

After the holidays were over, Sorey got a surprise when he went to school the Monday after New Years’. Velvet had transferred to his college, all under the pretense of keeping him safe. And she’d gotten suspended on the first day of being there, too. That hadn’t gone over well. Apparently the ‘group’ she’d left was an anger management group, and they’d been helping her keep her temper reigned in. Without them, she was a loose cannon. So Sorey tried to find a group for her to go to while she was staying with them, only to get waved off and told that she could handle it. At times, though, he woke up to her screams and rushed downstairs to find her writhing in her sleep, prosthetic arm halfway across the room. Whenever he woke her, she’d scream louder and shove him away before curling up and _sobbing_. It was the most heartbreaking thing he’d ever seen. Those nights, he stayed with her, holding her in his arms and humming the lullabies that Selene had sang to him when he was a child.

Even when Selene and Zenrus came in to see why Velvet had been screaming, Sorey found that he was the only one besides Laphicet who could actually calm her down from her nightmares. She wouldn’t wear her prosthetic for a few days after the nightmare, afraid of it for some reason no one understood. Not even Velvet understood why. But it seemed that there was some sort of trauma that was related to it, and no one even knew what it was. This meant that they all had to come to an agreement.

That was how Velvet ended up sleeping in Sorey’s room, in the spare bed meant for a child that had never been born. She seemed a bit more peaceful, which was relieving all around. It meant that she had no more nightmares, in such close proximity to one of the only two people who could calm her. That seemed relatively odd to Sorey, but he didn’t voice it whatsoever. It was better not to try and understand it. Some things just couldn’t be understood, it seemed. That was alright with him, however. Though it left a lot of questions unanswered. If Velvet and Laphicet were staying here, with them, then… Their caretaker, Artorius.. What exactly was he doing and why wasn’t he checking in on them at all? Why was this church group more important than them? He didn’t know why, but it really did upset him that their caretaker decided that his church group was more important. Especially on a holiday!

With Velvet’s suspension came a visit, though. Around five in the morning, Sorey was awoken by the incessant ringing of the doorbell. He pulled himself out of bed and stumbled downstairs from his bedroom to open it, thankful he wore a lot of clothes to bed. Upon opening it, he was greeted with two people. One of them with long black hair that covered his right eye and a girl with extremely long platinum-blonde hair with a smile that sent shivers down Sorey’s spine. He didn’t know how they found his house, but he knew it was probably not a good thing that they did. The girl pushed by him, grinning all the while.

“Ah~ So this is where she’s hiding!~” The girl said with glee, waltzing into the living room before actually _whacking_ Velvet upside the head, waking her up. Velvet growled and looked over to the girl, who wagged her finger. “Ah-ah, Velvet! Mind your temper!”

“Why the hell are you here, Magilanica?” Velvet asked. The girl looked shocked, stuttering for a moment before regaining her composure and backing off, smiling once again as she pointed at Velvet, putting a hand on her hip.

“It’s Magilou, Velvet, and you know that quite well!” She said.

“Sorry about her. She gets a bit wrapped up in her theatrics. It helps her cope,” The black-haired one said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Can I come in?”

“S-sure..” Sorey stepped aside to let him in. Shutting the door, he shivered lightly and put a hand to his head. He felt a bit fuzzy and weird again, just like the day he’d collapsed at Zaveid’s place. Was he going to pass out again? That would be really bad if he did. He had visitors! Well, Velvet did, but that didn’t mean he needed to be rude and pass out! That would be a very bad impression. So, heading to the kitchen, Sorey made a light meal for the three of them, deigning not to eat. Upon setting it on the living room table, Sorey made to go back to bed before Magilou’s voice stopped him.

“What a rude host! Leaving us to eat alone!” She said, looking like she was about to cry. Sorey turned around, going to speak before Velvet used her right arm to tug Magilou down and made her sit. “Velvet! He won’t learn manners if we don’t teach him!”

“Sorey. You’re not going to eat?” Velvet asked. Sorey shook his head.

“I’m never hungry first thing in the morning,” he said, which wasn’t a complete lie. He just really didn’t like eating much at all these days… even if it was really starting to affect him badly. Everything just seemed to be a bit much for him these days. Although, Velvet seemed to be not taking his answer today. Instead of letting him go, Velvet got up and walked over to him, taking his wrist lightly and pulling him back, sitting him down and putting her plate of food on his lap.

“Eat.”

Sorey looked from the plate to her. “But, Velvet…”

“Sorey. Eat the damn food,” Velvet said. Sorey swallowed heavily, looking away from her and feeling sick to his stomach. Why did she want him to eat? He couldn’t eat. He just _couldn’t_ eat at all! Dinner was fine, he could exercise after… but not during the morning or afternoon! There wasn’t enough he could do to burn off every excess calorie he ingested during the day. Velvet looked at him, and he kept his gaze turned away from her. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t eat it.

He _couldn’t_.

**_He couldn’t._ **

Standing up, knocking the plate off his lap, Sorey ran to his bedroom, avoiding Velvet’s grasp and locking the door once he was inside. Sliding down the door once he was safe, he pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them, feeling warm, salty tears sting and burn at his eyes. But he kept quiet, not letting anyone hear that he was crying. He was so afraid of eating one simple, solitary bite. He was afraid of being teased, of being ridiculed for being overweight. Even that boy in his class probably thought the same. Sorey didn’t know what he could do.

And, for the first time, Sorey wished he was someone else other than himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that ended well..
> 
> Comments are really appreciated, though don't feel like you have to! I know this fic needs a lot of work, but I'm trying my best. QwQ


	7. Angel in White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After what Velvet did, Sorey finally heads to school that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for the Mikleo!
> 
> I tried writing him this chapter and he seems mega OOC. Also the introduction of a Berseria character that is canonly dead (plus my ot3 because I am in hell and want to share it with the world. no need to ship it) is upon us.
> 
> This chapter may need tissues. And apologies if I don't get anything right. I'm sick right now but I pushed this chapter out anyways. ;w; Have a nice read~

For some time, he stayed in his room until he felt it was safe to come out. Sorey gathered his clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a shower real quick. And by quick, it was a quick 5-minute shower so he didn’t have to look at himself for too long. His eyes registered what he was seeing, but in his mind he didn’t see a thin body that was being starved. He saw nothing but skin. Overweight fat skin. Sobbing quietly, Sorey was quick to cover himself after drying off and washed his face, brushing his teeth after without bothering to look in the mirror. Once he rinsed out his mouth and dried his face, he went to his room and gathered his things needed for college before heading out the door before Velvet could stop him and try to make him eat again. He didn’t need the food. Not even after that episode at Zaveid’s house. Sorey was early for school, but he didn’t care as he headed towards the bus stop that usually picked him up. Waiting there, he rubbed his hands together and blew on them to keep them warm. But, instead of the bus, it was a car. Holding Rose. She must’ve bothered Zaveid a lot to get him to pull himself away from Eizen and drive her to school.

That, or she stole the car again. Zaveid probably knew she took it, too, so wouldn’t report it stolen.

“Hey! Mr. ‘I run away from my friends’, do you want a ride?” Rose asked, poking her head out from the passenger seat. A glimpse of the inside showed Zaveid, shirtless at the wheel, yawning and ruffling his hair. Sorey still wondered how Zaveid’s hair was so white. It suited him, honestly. Giving a nod to Rose’s question, he opened the back door to the car and slid inside, ending up sitting next to a sleepy Eizen, whose head was resting on the shoulder of an unfamiliar woman. She didn’t seem to mind it at all, instead petting his head lightly as Sorey carefully shut the door so he wouldn’t wake Eizen up. The woman looked to him and smiled warmly.

“Oh, this is Theodora! She’s an old flame of Zaveid’s!” Rose said helpfully. Sorey blinked, looking from the woman to Zaveid.

“Old flame? I think Zavie here would say differently.” She giggled lightly, still petting Eizen’s head. “I’ve only been away on business. I’m glad to be back home with my two idiots.”

“Hey, now, don’t go gettin’ any ideas,” Zaveid said, still driving with his eyes on the road. Eizen muttered something, but Sorey couldn’t catch it. Theodora laughed, giving Eizen a light tap upside the head. It was actually kind of nice, talking to all of them while heading to school. Unfortunately, Sorey froze up upon seeing the five there that had started bullying him relentlessly to the point he refused himself proper nutrition to make them stop bullying him. It was because of them he had his body-image issues. Theodora noted how he froze and looked to the window. Rose did, too, closing her eyes and then sighing. Of course, it just _had_ to be those five. The five that tried making her own life a living hell until she dunked one of them in the fountain and they had left her alone. So, opening the door, she got out of the car after gesturing at Sorey to follow her. Sorey did, though reluctantly, and the five were smirking as they got ready to launch their assault.

“Looks like Rosie-Posie got herself a fatass boyfriend,” The leader, a tall, dark-skinned man with dark hair with sunglasses and wearing all black said. “Hey, Rosie-Posie, why’re you with the fatass?”

“Fatass? What…” She looked to Sorey, who was going paler by the minute. “Hey, knock off the name-calling! We’re not in high school any more!”

“Yeah, yeah. Fatass has a sympathizer. Rosie-Posie likes the fat.” A young woman with dyed blue hair said with a grin. “Guessing this’ll get out quick. Fat isn’t liked here, after all.”

“Knock it off or I’ll dunk that pretty blue hair into a fountain again.” Rose stepped forward. The bullies were about to step forward as well when the sound of car doors shutting reached all of them. Sorey looked behind to see that Zaveid and Eizen had gotten out of the car, the latter still sleepy as all hell but looking more menacing for it. Why had they come out? The bullies took a couple steps forward before Sorey found himself falling backwards wrong, and a sharp pain ran through his left arm. Without even realizing it, a sharp cry emitted from his mouth and the pain persisted. The leader looked pleased with himself, lowering his arms.

“Get out of here, fatass.”

“Hey, knock the childish bullying off.” Zaveid stepped in front of Sorey as Eizen carefully righted him, helping him sit up. Sorey felt his arm in a lot of pain, and knew that it was broken. Rose had reacted too late to stop the leader, and there was fury on her face. As she was about to launch herself at the leader, the sound of boots thumping against the sidewalk stopped her. The pink hair and teal eyes were all that was familiar about the person, enough to have Rose stand upright instead of crouching down like she was ready to pounce.

It was Lailah.

Her eyes were fiery, filled with determination, as she walked up towards the bullies. The sound of a car door shutting was heard and soon, Theodora joined Eizen. Her eyes widened as she saw Sorey’s arm. He should’ve been in a lot of pain but...

“It’s... really broken.” Theodora whispered, pulling out her cell phone to call an ambulance. Lailah finally stopped in front of Rose, standing between her and the bullies. A phone was in her hand and she was wearing a very standard uniform of a police officer.

“I’ve recorded the entire incident and am placing you under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.” Pulling out a wallet, she showed her police badge. The man growled.

“Always after the black guys, huh? Fucking pigs.” He spat at Lailah, who didn’t even flinch as she put her badge away and pulled out her handcuffs. “That little fat bastard started the whole altercation! You can’t arrest me because he fuckin’ hurt himself!”

“Lailah…” Rose looked a bit confused. Zaveid whistled appreciatively, only to get smacked upside the head by Theodora. There was the familiar howling of sirens as the leader of the bullies attacked Lailah, only to get thrown to the ground and forcibly handcuffed before she yanked him back up and took him towards the black sedan waiting behind Zaveid’s car. A blond-haired man with an odd bird perched on his head was standing near the back of the sedan, opening it as Lailah approached. The sirens got closer as the leader was loaded into the sedan and the doors shut. Lailah mouthed an “I’ll call you later” to Rose, who was dumbfounded. Paramedics made their way over and both Eizen and Theodora stepped back as Sorey was examined and loaded onto a stretcher. A compound fracture was what it was, and it scared Sorey. What if he could never use that arm again?

It scared him so much.

Rose was able to get into the ambulance and called Selene almost immediately after she’d gotten in, explaining what had happened and asking her to meet them there. Sorey could almost hear the frantic tone of his mother’s voice. But when the pain finally crept up on him, he found himself falling into darkness fairly quickly. It was so painful, he blacked out and didn’t awaken for some time.

When he did wake up, he was faced with white. And a pale face with lilac eyes and dyed silvery-blue hair staring at him. The light from the ceiling framed the face to make it look angelic. As if Sorey had died and gone to heaven. That thought freaked him out, so he sat up all too quickly and smacked his head against the angel’s.

The pain in his forehead as he held it told him he was alive.

“You idiot, why’d you sit up like that?!” The angel asked. Sorey looked over, then noticing the familiarity of the angel. He was wearing hospital scrubs, so did he work here? Wasn’t he the classmate that Sorey had seen at one of his classes weeks ago? Why was he here? Sorey didn’t understand, but his head really hurt. His arm didn’t, and a glance at it told him it was in a cast. He’d really broken it. So how long had he been out?

“I’m sorry! I thought I was dead!” Sorey apologized immediately. The angel huffed, looking at the clipboard. “A-are you my doctor?”

“No. I’m an intern. They sent me to check up on you. Your chart isn’t looking good, though. You’re severely underweight. How you’re still able to function properly is a mystery.”

Severely underweight? No. He was overweight! “D-don’t you mean ‘severely overweight, bordering obese’?” He asked. The angel looked from him to the chart and shook his head.

“No. It says here that you’re severely underweight. I’m guessing you have anorexia, from what everyone who was here last night told me.”

Anorexia?

Underweight?

Sorey laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “N-no, I don’t! I need to lose weight, so I’m cutting back.”

“Don’t lie. You’re horrible at it.”

He wasn’t lying. He’d been told multiple times he was overweight. College had been the final nail in the coffin, and he was trying his best to lose weight. Even if it meant cutting out most meals and exercising profusely so he could lose a lot of weight. “I’m not!”

“You are. It’s showing in your face. But, until you get back to a healthy weight, we can’t release you. Sorry.”

_What?_

“W-wait! I have—“

“I know you have college. We’re classmates. But it’s hospital policy. I’ll have Doctor Collbrande examine you later. Go back to sleep.” With that, the angel left and Sorey gave a groan, flopping back onto his bed and staring at the ceiling. So he couldn’t leave until he gained enough weight back? But he was overweight as is! What would they do if he refused to eat? Force-feed him? Sorey couldn’t even think on that. It was… unbearable.

“…I just want to go home…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments. Even if I don't reply, I love them.
> 
> I also love talking to people ;w;


	8. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Velvet does what Velvet does best: Fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I've been dealing with a writing commission that's taking most of my brainpower to do (that I won't be posting here), so I put this on the backburner for some time. I hit a bit of a block with the commission so I decided to write this instead. It's shorter than the usual chapters and holds no Sorey or Mikleo in it this time but--
> 
> I promise they'll be back next chapter ;3;

She’d gotten the phone call not too long after school had started for Sorey. Velvet had answered, hearing a frantic Rose blathering on about Sorey and his arm, how it’d been broken, and she felt her grip on the phone tighten considerably. If it were her left hand, the phone would’ve broken with how hard she was gripping it. Knuckles turning white, Velvet had to keep herself from slamming the phone down and hunting down those fuckers who had dared to hurt her cousin. Family was important to Velvet as, after Celica died in a freak accident caused by her husband, she barely had it any more. Once she agreed to relay the information to Selene, Velvet heard the line go dead and then slammed the phone down. That made Rokurou jump and Magilou look up from the book she was reading. Shutting the book and getting up, she nearly waltzed over to Velvet.

“Velvet~ Don’t get so upset over a phone call. That’s what we’ve been working on, remember?” Magilou said, grinning mischievously. Rokurou sighed, facepalming at Magilou’s antics. Nothing good ever came from irritating Velvet more than she already was. Instead of answering, Velvet turned around and nearly stomped over to the coat rack, yanking her coat off and almost toppling it over. Shoving her arms through the sleeves, she zipped it up and pulled her hair out from inside of it, pulling a hairband out of the right pocket and tying her hair up.

“I’m going to _murder_ them.”

“Whoa, whoa!” Rokurou headed over to try to stop Velvet, who glared at him. “Easy, Velvet. You know just going in to murder someone isn’t going to do you any good! You’re still on parole. Hell, all three of us are!”

“Says the one who tried murdering his brother.” Velvet snapped. “I got arrested and then parole for something I didn’t do! Artorius is the one who slandered my name! Who the hell cares?!”

Opening the door, Velvet shoved on her boots and headed out into the cold, not caring if her prosthetic was showing. The school was blocks from where they were, and the bus wasn’t an option. Instead, the trio trudged through the snow, Rokurou trying (and failing) to get Velvet to reconsider her options. She clenched her left fist as they drew near the campus. Three of the usual bullies she’d seen her first (and only) day there were lingering about, talking.

“Yeah. I got a connection to the hospital. They’ve been drugging that fatass’ food. Hoping, by next week, he’ll be dead. Less of a blight on the world and more food for us, y’know?”

She stopped.

Sorey was having body image issues. He was anorexic. And this was giving her more fuel for her rage. As the three bullies laughed and high-fived, Velvet was certain she saw red before she heard the screaming. Everything was black up until she came to, finding the three savagely beaten. Not enough to kill them, but enough to knock them out and leave them in need of medical attention. Seeing this, Velvet’s eyes widened and she backed off. She’d blacked out, beaten them senseless and then regained her senses.

“Ooh, boy. Look who’s gone and lost it again. We’re gonna have a hard time covering this up, now aren’t we?” Magilou put her hands on her hips. Instead of giving her an answer, Rokurou ran over to Velvet and helped her up, quickly taking her away. She couldn’t stay around this. It just reminded her of what happened with Artorius and her little brother, after all… The crushing memories of that dreadful night in which…

Rokurou knew it wasn’t a good thing to keep Velvet around a scene, even if it made them fugitives from the law. Velvet had broken her parole, but she’d done it for family. The best thing to do was to call her parole officer and tell him of the violation. But that’d get back to Artorius, so it was best that he didn’t even report it. Leaving the scene of the crime, the three of them took a different route to Sorey’s home.

“They’re poisoning Velvet’s cousin.”

“I know~ How bad~” Magilou skipped ahead of them. Rokurou sighed, still holding Velvet as close as possible. If anything, it helped her stay grounded in reality. For as long as he’d know Velvet, he’d been her anchor. But today, he’d failed in that. As the three of them headed back home, Rokurou shifted Velvet into the bridal-style carry.

They’d have a better time tomorrow, wouldn’t they?

 

* * *

It’s dark.

Slowly, Eizen opens his eyes and feels the kisses from the woman in his lap all on his face. Feels the jolts through his nerves, and it rips a moan from his lips. He leans back on the body behind him as strong, muscular arms embrace him. His hips are moving on their own, and the woman is moaning too. He can hear Rose’s voice through the door, but his mind doesn’t register what she’s saying until she comes barging in, flipping on the light.

“I know you guys just got back together and shit, but we’ve got an emergency!” She said. Eizen glanced over, as did Theodora and Zaveid. Emergency? “Sorey had a Code Blue. He crashed. Turns out his food was tampered with by the cafeteria staff, and Selene’s on her way. Dezel just got off the phone with her. Get dressed. We’ve gotta go babysit his cousins.”

“And I was just about to cum, too.” Zaveid groaned.

“Well, hurry up and finish and meet me and Dezel over there! We’re biking over.” With that, Rose left, shutting the door behind her. Before opening it back up. “Also, shower after.”

Zaveid sighed and rested his head on Eizen’s once Rose had left.

“Damn it, how can she be so blunt like that?”


	9. Quick Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note for those reading this.

Hey, it's me. I'm sorry if you thought this was a chapter. I'd lost my drive to write this due to circumstances in my life that refused to let me even think of writing it. I'm having to remove a few characters from this due to bad association + they make me angry or make me feel ill every time I look at them or see them mentioned. Don't worry, it won't screw up what I have now but it's what I need to do to progress forward with this fic.

I'll have the new chapter written up and posted sometime this week, hopefully. I apologize for the long wait and I hope that you guys are well.


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